Irving was initially expected to be sidelined for four weeks and miss 15 games. Instead, he's back after three weeks and, if he plays against the Lakers, will have only missed 11 games. That's good news for the Cavaliers, as Cleveland has gone just 2-9 without him and currently sits in the Central Division basement with a record of 4-17. His absence was made worse by an ankle injury to rookie guard Dion Waiters, which has left Cavaliers coach Byron Scott with a three-man backcourt rotation of Jeremy Pargo, Daniel Gibson and Donald Sloan. Not exactly a winning combination.

One of the league's most promising young players, Irving currently ranks No. 8 in PER among point guards and is expected to challenge for an All-Star spot, should he stay healthy the rest of the way. He was sidelined the last three weeks with a hairline fracture in his left index finger, what he called a "freak injury" and a "minor setback." Irving, just 20, broke his hand last summer, missed an extended period of time with a concussion last season and suffered a toe injury that forced him to miss most of his one and only season at Duke.